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Keyboard Stands - It's an Illness (GAS)


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Every time one of you damn keyboard monkeys mentions a new or different keyboard stand I have to go out and buy it. I must have 15 keyboard stands.

I have a STACK of tubular a-frame stands with the idea of the grand Erector Set approach as a few have done. I have at least two "Stand-tastic" stands, a couple of Z-stands, a Monolith stand, an Apex 48, X Stands....

I look for:

1. Can I adjust it so that my keys - both upper and lower - are where I want them?

2. How long does it take to set up?

3. How much room does it take up in the car? I have a wagon, but sometimes take my truck or my g/f's Civic (fold-down seats)

4. Does it have room for two sustain pedals and two controller/expression pedals?

5. How much does it weigh?

6. Is it durable?

 

Well, someone mentioned the K&M 18880 and the 18882 "stacker" (the 18881 isn't adjustable for angle, the 18882 is). I happened to have $225 that wasn't earmarked for frivolities like food or gasoline, so I pulled the trigger on YET ANOTHER KEYBOARD STAND.

 

First impression: This thing is REALLY light. Way lighter than even my "heavy duty" X-stand that I keep going back to. Is this going to hold up?

2nd Impression: Lots of adjustments here. Height, 2nd tier height, angle of 2nd tier, length of stacker arms (much like the stand-tastic). A bit fiddly to get it right, but once you're there, you don't have to mess with it again. However, if you get on the gig and discover it's not 'right', you can adjust it without a lot of fanfare - especially the upper tier for height/angle/arm length

3rd Impression: This thing is REALLY light?!! Is it going to get destroyed on load-in/out? Is it going to hold my keys? Is it going to move laterally when things start rockin' ?

 

After one gig, I'll say that it's really light - my gf can carry it easily with one hand should she care to put down her cocktail and help load in. It was solid on the gig, no movement or whatnot. Very transparent in that I didn't think about it or worry about it.

It's light, but seems very well-constructed with good materials and the welds look like someone gave a shit about what they were doing (rather than just tack/spot welds)

I found one of the tensioning knobs in the back of my car when I unloaded the next day, but that was probably due to my not tightening it up. Also had to add a piece of velcro cord stay to keep the stabilizing rod from swinging about when moving the stand.

Did I mention that it's light?

 

So.. anyone want to buy a monolith stand with 2nd tier? Or maybe a few A-frames? Stand-tastic?.... anyone? Bueller?

Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine.

 

HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama.

 

 

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Almost every gig I've played this century has included either the 18880 or an Invisible. I can't see shlepping stands that weigh more than some of my keyboards. ;-)

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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K&M (Koenig & Meyer) make GREAT stuff!!!

Back in the 80's, when I didn't know anything about mic stands except I needed a couple, I bought a pair of K&M mic stands marked "AKG".

They are red, makes it easy to use them anywhere. Nobody else I've seen has red mic stands.

 

They both work as well today as they did almost 40 years ago when I bought them. Meanwhile, cheap stands bought recently by friends have fallen apart and died.

 

I recently had the "mic stand talk" with our best and pickiest local sound man. He told me they were K&M (made in Germany).

He also told me he uses them exclusively. You can buy better mic stands but they are at least 4x the price.

 

I've bought two more, newer ones, at Goodwill for less than $10 each. Same robust construction.

 

It seems unlikely that K&M would make great mic stands and crappy keyboard stands. So, you have done well.

 

And, we all wish we could know these things going in. As a friend of mine who photographs weddings once told me "Buy Nice or Buy Twice."

 

Of course, he also said "One is None and Two is One" regarding backup gear. And I've only seen the crappiest X stands at Goodwill, no good keyboard stand bargains there. Wah!

 

Enjoy your new stand!!! I bet it lasts for decades. :- )

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I have the same problem, I just sell them cheap to buyers on CL when I sell other keyboard stuff, most can't turn down a good deal, the last time I sold my Apex with three tiers and mic attachment for $100.

 

Right now I'm using and loving the On-Stage WS8550 T-Stand, no small parts to lose, 5 second setup, totally clear under the board, it's a pleasure and doubt I ever change, but I don't use or like tiers anymore, think it's looks terrible on stage, so this stand is not for those that need to stack.

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i own both the poster's K&M and the invisible and both are used ALL the time. The invisible allows you to get your boards tighter than anything else I've used. The downside is your pedalboard MUST fit between the supports. For simple collections it will be fine. My PinkFreud pedal board left to right is MiniVent Vocodoer box, expression pedal for my Stage 3, sustain for same, and expression for my SK1. It's tight but it works. Other than that there is no downside to the Invisible Stand. (buy a spare turnbuckle and keyring and keep it in your cable box. That is the only repair kit you'll ever need for the Invisible Stand.
Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Thanks for the review! If you ever find the time to make a giant chart with answers to 1-6 for each of the stands you tried, I bet I'm not the only one that would appreciate it.

 

What are the answers to 2 and 3 for the 18880 and 18882? What size does it fold down to, and how quickly?

 

I've been using this stand: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZStd2Tier--on-stage-stands-ks7365-ej-pro-heavy-duty-folding-z-stand-with-2nd-tier

 

After some practice, I can get it and 2 keyboards from the car trunk to ready-to-play in 10 or 15 minutes, and about the same for the reverse, but it's hard work and I have to move fast. The stand is heavy and the adjustment is a little wonky. I don't love it, but it works.

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Once I got my spider pro, I reached the pinnacle in stands (for me at least). No extra bits other than my boom stand, which fits on top...space under it, looks really good, easy to carry in a bag. Wouldn't be good for 3 boards but I probably won't go there anyway; about the only negative is that it isn't very "stackable" on my cart, but most stands aren't. It's the heaviest gear I own now so I don't really want to place it on my keyboards in their bags (especially the modx with a touchscreen) so still working out the best cart strategy (when I actually need a cart, which is less than half of my gigs).
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K&M setup and breakdown are maybe about 15 seconds, if you're doing it leisurely. Probably about twice as fast as the original (4-piece) Invisible, not as fast as the later (1-piece) Invisible.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Well, someone mentioned the K&M 18880 and the 18882 "stacker" (the 18881 isn't adjustable for angle, the 18882 is). I happened to have $225 that wasn't earmarked for frivolities like food or gasoline, so I pulled the trigger on YET ANOTHER KEYBOARD STAND.

Quick point of clarification: I have the 18881 stacker and the angle is adjustable. It's a great stand. Can't beat the weight, size for transportation, and the 10-second setup/teardown time where it's always the exact same height.

 

Also, I made two mods to the stacker, which makes it close to perfect for my needs:

 

- I drilled a hole approximately 1 5/8" (42mm) above the topmost height adjustment holes on the stacker to get the upper keyboard closer to the bottom keyboard.

 

- I cut off 3" of each support arm and did not drill holes to reinstall the pegs. I am only using the second hole for angle adjustment, so rubber weather stripping holds the keyboard securely without the pegs. Also, I may cut another 1 1/2" of the arms to give me additional clearance for the control panel of my bottom keyboard.

Nord Stage 3 HA88, Nord Stage 3 Compact, Casio CT-S1, Radial Key Largo, Westone AM Pro 30, Rolls PM55P, K&M 18880 + 18881, Bose S1 Pro, JBL 305p MKII, Zoom Q2n-4K

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Instead of shortening the stacker, I flip it around and insert it backwards. But for a 3-tier version, I did trim the length of the middle tier, which can't be flipped.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I use the 18880 and 18881. Durable? Well, they are made from aircraft grade aluminum, and with typical aircraft type welding. In spite of being so light, the stand itself is very durable. I have heard of some folk having problems with the back lattice work that adds additional bracing. In my case, most of the time I'm using either a 61 or 37 key MIDI controller, so I don't even use that part, just spread the ends apart enough that the board fits (this is when I use the 18880 by itself).

Folds up very quickly, setup the same. Since the main part of the stand (the part on each side with the legs and the board supports) is rigid, it does wind up taking a bit of horizontal space, but very little vertical space in the vehicle. Since I'm not using the back part, I carry a couple of short bungee cords to hold the pieces together so they can't separate while being carried.

 

For my semi-permanent setups (2 boards and not moved much), I do still use a pair of OnStage 2 tier Z stands; This is in my shop/studio and my church setup. But I love having a portable stand that weighs about as much as my 37 key MIDI controller (1 tier) or the Samson 61 key controller (2 tier).

 

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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I have used one with 2 additional tiers for a 3 board rig for 5 years. It is durable, you may want to get a few extra bolts as I had one fall out during transport. It is light, easy to set up and put my boards close together like I like them. Some of the other stands I have used made the third board sit too far away on top. I used a Korg Krome 88 on the bottom, Hammond SK1 in the middle and a Korg Kingkorg on the top tier.

 

The only issue I had is it wobbles a little, may want to put in one more reinforcement. It did not wobble enough for me to worry about it. I would get it again if I ever needed it. I thought it is a little expensive for what it is, but has worked great for me.

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Another K&M 18880 plus stacker user here - which was a decision I came to thanks to reading all the opinion on this very forum.

 

Mine has travelled about 40,000km by road plus played plenty of gigs in between so my personal experience - yes super durable. It doesn't look quite as pretty as it used to but its functionality hasn't diminished one iota.

 

My potted review would be:

 

Pros:

- Ridiculously light

- Sets up and packs up lightning fast.

- Super adjustable

- Can use for sitting or standing

- Lots of room for pedals, etc beneath it

- Good design, bears plenty of weight

- Aforementioned durability. Aside from the road-toughness mentioned above, I reckon maybe my first or second gig with the thing a drunk cricketer fell headlong into it, after tripping over a foldback wedge. He hit it so hard my keyboards came unplugged. Stand survived unscathed and no keyboards encountered floor.

 

Cons:

- Unless you want to deconstruct the whole thing, it packs up flat, but a little large

- Gets a bit of side to side shimmy for me, probably because I use it with a very high centre of gravity. This can be mitigated by kicking the feet apart but is a little disconcerting when it first happens.

- The rubbers on the top tier of the stackers don't do a great job of keeping your top 'board in place at the angle I use it. I supplement with blu-tac as I don't like using the little knobby things at the front of the stackers.

- The little knobby things at the front of the stackers get in the way of palm smears, etc.

 

Overall I really LOVE this stand.

 

I have been looking lustfully at the 18820 foldable Omega Pro, but a check of the specs suggests I couldn't use it standing up. A shame!

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I've been playing keyboards for 38 years and have had a total of 3 keyboard stands. For the first 10 years or so I had a basic single keyboards stand that I modified for a second tier. For much of that time I'd use 3 keyboards. The 3rd board off to my right in an L configuration was sat on top of a pile of road cases.

 

Then I went to a 2 keyboard config; RD1000 and a synth on top. I used the RD1000 stand.

 

For the last 15 years or so I've gone with a single 88 keyboard on a table type stand.

 

Looks like I don't have any keyboard stand GAS problems. :)

DigitalFakeBook Free chord/lyric display software for windows.
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So you fold it up with the stacker left on there?

 

I guess as long as the result's not much bigger than an 88-key board, then I'd be able to fit it in the car.

Yes, I leave the stackers attached. The two sides still collapse together, in a matter of seconds. So while the height and depth remain the same whether it is set up or collapsed, the width shrinks from the width needed to support your 88 when set up to a width of probably about about 3 inches when collapsed.

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I use the K&M 18810 with 18811 for my permanent setup at home. Best thing about these stands is that they are really sturdy, which I great for my 70 lbs DP. What I missed in other table stands is how low you can make them. I'm 6'2" but my shoulders and arms are comfortable when tables and stands are low, with just enough room for my legs to not hit the bottom when playing. It supprised me so few table stands can get low enough for me to play comfortably. The 18810 does. It's not foldable though.
Trumpet player by trade, but fell in love with keys too.
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I have been looking lustfully at the 18820 foldable Omega Pro, but a check of the specs suggests I couldn't use it standing up. A shame!

 

Are you sure? I have both the 18880 and the Omega 18810, and the latter is the only and first keyboard stand I can use comfortably standing up. (I'm 6,4") 18810 & 18820 seem to extend to the same maximum height, according to a retailer's website.

 

It's not a clone, it's a Suzuki.
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I recently to a 18880 (single tier) following suggestions in this forum, am i really, really happy.

 

I live in Paris and use public transportation (metro) to go around; i finally can go to a gig alone, bringing both the NE5HP on my back and the 18880,

and i can pass the metro ticket barrier without too many problems. OK, i concede that my use case is pretty unique (outside Paris :).

 

Maurizio

Nord Wave 2, Nord Electro 6D 61,, Rameau upright,  Hammond Pro44H Melodica.

Too many Arturia, NI and AAS plugins

http://www.barbogio.org/

 

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So you fold it up with the stacker left on there?

 

I guess as long as the result's not much bigger than an 88-key board, then I'd be able to fit it in the car.

Yes, I leave the stackers attached. The two sides still collapse together, in a matter of seconds. So while the height and depth remain the same whether it is set up or collapsed, the width shrinks from the width needed to support your 88 when set up to a width of probably about about 3 inches when collapsed.

Didn"t even have to move my lips, haha!

 

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I have been looking lustfully at the 18820 foldable Omega Pro, but a check of the specs suggests I couldn't use it standing up. A shame!

 

Are you sure? I have both the 18880 and the Omega 18810, and the latter is the only and first keyboard stand I can use comfortably standing up. (I'm 6,4") 18810 & 18820 seem to extend to the same maximum height, according to a retailer's website.

Well this post has got me excited. I"d better recheck the specs!

 

Edit: Thanks Morizzle! I had completely misread the specs on the K&M website. Reckon I"ve found my next stand (when mine dies, there"s no reason to push it into early retirement).

 

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I have been looking lustfully at the 18820 foldable Omega Pro, but a check of the specs suggests I couldn't use it standing up. A shame!

 

Are you sure? I have both the 18880 and the Omega 18810, and the latter is the only and first keyboard stand I can use comfortably standing up. (I'm 6,4") 18810 & 18820 seem to extend to the same maximum height, according to a retailer's website.

Well this post has got me excited. I"d better recheck the specs!

 

Edit: Thanks Morizzle! I had completely misread the specs on the K&M website. Reckon I"ve found my next stand (when mine dies, there"s no reason to push it into early retirement).

:thu:

It's not a clone, it's a Suzuki.
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It still seems elusive to me that a stand can't be designed that meets the criteria we need. As I said on another thread it seems, pieces fall off, stands get warped, gears get stripped easily (quik lok) Why can't any of these issues be addressed? I just sent my 18880 back because it wasn't practical for someone that gigs all the time.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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I just sent my 18880 back because it wasn't practical for someone that gigs all the time.

How so?

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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It doesn't tear down that easy. It's very solid and I have the tiers attachments also. Like it or not the Quik Lok stands are easier to manage. My problem is once they stopped being produced in Italy the quality control has been bad, I don't buy them anymore so I tried the K&M. If you carry a large keyboard rig (3 or more) the Omega is too much of a pain in the ass especially if you are doing festivals or multi band performances. It doesn't fit in the truck well either.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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